Iconic Daehangno venue reopens, with focus on children's theater

Hakchon Theater, an iconic venue for Korean performing arts in Seoul's Daehangno theater district and a lasting legacy of Kim Min-gi, who died Sunday, has begun a new chapter in its storied history.

Four months after its closure in March, the theater resumed its operations Thursday, rebranded as the Arko Kkumbat Theater, which translates to Arko Dream Field Theater, dedicated to performances for children and youth.

“Arko Kkumbat Theater aims to inherit the historical and cultural legacy of Hakchon,” said Chairperson Choung Byoung-gug of the Arts Council Korea (Arko) at a press conference held before the opening ceremony.

“We intend to continue the efforts of Kim (Min-gi), who made significant contributions to children’s and youth theater as well as to the broader theatrical community.”

Hakchon Theater has been a cultural beacon in Daehangno for 33 years.

The founder and CEO Kim, also a singer-songwriter best known for “Morning Dew” (1971), was a pioneer in many ways, being the first to introduce live bands to small theater musicals here. He also directed many Korean musicals, including “Subway Line No.1” (Korean edition of the German musical "Line One"), “Moskito,” and “Red Pepper Tteokbokki,” tailored for children and young audiences.

The theater was also where many of today's popular singers and theater luminaries got their start.

The late singer Kim Kwang-seok, who frequently performed live at Hakchon, became its most famous star. Musicians such as Yoon Do-hyun of YB band, jazz vocalist Na Yoon-sun, and music director Jung Jae-il began their careers at Hakchon.

The rock musical "Subway Line No.1," which premiered in 1994 at Hakchon, remains a monumental work in Korean musical history. Kim adapted the German original to suit Korean sensibilities. Performed over 8,000 times by 2023, it attracted over 700,000 viewers. This long-running musical served as a stepping stone for many actors, including Sol Kyung-gu, Kim Yun-seok, Hwang Jung-min, Jang Hyun-sung and Cho Seung-woo.

However, Hakchon Theater closed in March due to chronic financial difficulties and Kim’s health issues.

“Producing children’s theater isn’t particularly profitable,” said Choung. “Yet Hakchon and Kim consistently created and staged high-quality productions for young audiences, a role that public institutions should have fulfilled. We now intend to take on this responsibility.”

The theater will now operate as a black box theater, kicking off with the 2024 Assitej International Summer Festival through Sunday. Assitej Korea, under the International Association of Theater for Children and Young People (Association Internationale du Theatre pour l'Enfance et la Jeunesse in French), will manage the theater’s programming for the remainder of this year.

“What Kim achieved through Hakchon was akin to creating a new genre for children and youth (in Korea). Now, many (people) continue to uphold his spirit, and we plan to invite these creative minds and their performances,” said Assitej Korea’s director Bang Ji-young.

Choung added that Arko requested a government budget to support the theater’s operations. Should the request fall short, Arko plans to raise approximately 500 million won ($360,000) through donations and crowdfunding.

While there are hopes to stage hallmark productions like “Red Pepper Tteokbokki” and “Subway Line No.1,” Choung said that immediate plans are pending as Kim had expressed a desire for the theater not to carry on Hakchon’s repertoire, citing concerns about their sustainability.

Next year, a public call for proposals will be announced to select works that can continue the legacy of Hakchon’s repertoire, focusing on engaging productions for children, according to Arko.